70,000 members of the Kidney Cancer Association will join cancer survivors from more than 100 nations for a first-ever World Cancer Day Facebook Group Chat

Evanston, IL (PRWEB) January 31, 2011

On World Cancer Day, February 4, 2011, members of the Kidney Cancer Association (KCA), the world’s largest patient-led kidney cancer organization, invites survivors and their families and friends to join a 24-hour-long live Facebook chat. The web chat, led by kidney cancer survivors, will provide members of the cancer community and their caregivers with an opportunity to discuss surgery, therapeutic options, coping with emotional distress, treatment side effects, and other topics related to living with renal malignancies. In order to underscore the importance of World Cancer Day, KCA encourages people, regardless of their specific cancer diagnosis, to join the chat and share their experiences with others. Awareness, support, and education are vital to the fight, and this day-long web chat will be a unique way to spread knowledge and unite the entire cancer survivor community. For more information on how to participate in this unique Facebook event please visit http://www.KidneyCancer.org/facebook-chat.

“We’re excited to launch this first-of-its-kind global web chat, specifically for families dealing with kidney cancer,” said Bill Bro, Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago based charity. “Our Fan Page is Facebook’s number one resource dedicated to the eradication of renal malignancies,” he added. “In only a few months, we’ve seen explosive growth of the KCA’s virtual community. We reach more than 30,000 people through Facebook alone–a very large number for a comparatively rare disease.”

Bro, a 22-year kidney cancer survivor, stressed that the Facebook chat isn’t intended as a fundraiser. Rather, the charity hopes to engage cancer survivors from around the globe in a discussion intended to increase awareness of renal cancers and the need for a cure.

The KCA was founded in 1990 by a small group of patients, including Eugene P. Schonfeld, Ph.D., and medical doctors in Chicago, Illinois. It is a nonprofit charity incorporated in the State of Illinois. It has also been designated as a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service code. Donations to the Association are tax deductible.